Fender or guard for tramway-cars



INVEN TOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

Patented May 17,1898.

J. LEIGHTHAM. FENDER 0R GUARD FOR. TRAMWAY CARS.

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UNITED STATES PATENT FFICQE;

JOSEPH LEIGHTHAM, OF READING, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF THREE- FOURTHSTO JACOB SHAABER, OF SAME PLACE, AND EDWARD LEIGHT- HAM, HARRYLEIGHTHAM, AND ADLIEN LEIGHTI-IAM, OF CONSHOI-IOOKEN,

PENNSYLVANIA.

FENDER OR GUARD FOR TRAIVIWAY-CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 604.171, dated May 17,1898.

Application filed July 27, 1897.

To all whom it mag concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH LEIGHTHAM, a citizen of the United States,residing at Reading, in the county of Berks and State of Pennsylvania,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fenders or Guardsfor Tramway-Oars, of which the following is a full and completespecification, such as will enable those skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to fenders or guards for tramway-cars; and theobject thereof is to provide an improved device of this class which isdesigned to prevent the serious and sometimes fatal accidents whichresult from a person or object being struck by a car when in motion.

The invention is fully disclosed in the following specification, ofwhich the accompanying drawings form a part, in which-- Figure 1 is asectional plan view of the end of a car provided with my improved fenderor guard; Fig. 2, a partial section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1, and Fig.3 a front view of a detail of the construction which will be hereinafterdescribed.

In the drawings forming part of this specification the separate parts ofmyimprovement are designated by the same numerals of reference in eachof the views, and'in said drawings I have shown a part of the bottom ofa car at 5, which is projected to form a platform 6, and I have alsoshown a part of the truck-frame at 7 and one of the wheels 8,which ismounted on the usual shaft 9, and secured to the bottom of the platform6 is a plate or bar 10, which is provided with a circular head 11, whichprojects forwardly of the platform and in which is formed a circularchamber 12, the upper wall of this chamber being cutaway in Fig. 1, andmounted in said chamber and free to swing therein is a plate 13, theforward end of which is provided at its opposite sides with trunnions14, which pass through bearings 15, which are secured to the main fenderor guard, as shown at 16.

The main fender or guard 17 consists, preferably, of a piece of sheetmetal the back part of which is vertical, as shown at 18, and thecentral and bottom portion of which is curved downwardly and forwardly,and the sides Serial No. 646,088. (No model.)

thereof are curved upwardly, as shown at 19, or provided with curvedside strips or plates 19, and the front thereof is provided withtransverse plates 20, which support between their outer edges abudenroll 21, composed of rubber, leather, or similar-material andpreferably packed with any suitable packing material, as shown at 22,and said buffer-roll consists of a strip or strips of leather or similarmaterial folded as shown in Fig, 2, and the edges of which are placedbetween the outer edges of the plates 20, and the outer edge of thefender or guard-plate is also shown in said figure, and the bottom plate20 is provided with a downwardly-directed transverse portion 23, whichis adapted at certain times when theplatform of the car is depressed tocome in contact with the rails of the track. It will be observed thatthe main fender or guard 17 is free to swing on its supports at 14, andthe plate 13, by which the main fender or guard is supported, isconnected with the head 11 by pins or bolts 24, which are passeddownwardly through said head and through said plate, and securedtransversely of the top of the main fender or guard is an angle-ironplate 25, and secured to the plate 13, with which themain fender orguard is pivotally connected, is an upwardly-directed arm 26, throughthe upper end of which passes a screwthreaded bolt 27 which passesthrough a slot or opening 28, formed in an upright or standard 29,secured to the plate 25 centrally thereof, and the bolt 27 is providedat its inner end with a crank 30, which is provided with a handle 31,and by turning said bolt the forward end of the fender or guard may beraised or lowered, as will be readily understood.

The upper part of the fender or guard is also provided at its oppositesides with two pivoted rings or handles 32, and by moving one of thepins or bolts 24 the fender or guard may be turned from one side to theother by means of said rings or handles, as will be readily understood,and by means of this construction the fender or guard maybe adjustedlaterally, so as to remain in proper position when the car is turning acorner or curve.

Secured to the end of the truck by means of hangers 33 is a transversebar 34, and mounted in front thereof is a supplemental fender or guard35,which extends downwardly and forwardly and which also preferablyconsists of a sheet of metal bent into the required form, and theforward end thereof terminates beneath and slightly in front of theplatform of the car, and the sides thereof are provided with downwardlyand backwardly curved wings 36, which are intended to prevent a personor object from passing beneath the car from the side thereof andrearwardly of the main fender or guard, and the supplemental fender orguard is provided with springs 37, which are secured to the bottom orbeneath each side, as shown in full lines in Fig. 2 and in dotted linesin Fig. 1, and a front view of one of these springs is given in Fig. 3,and said springs are carried upwardly and backwardly and formed in aspiral coil 38, and said coils project inwardly, as shown at 39, and areprovided with downwardly-directed extensions 40, by which they aresecured to the transverse bar 34, and the spiral coils rest on said barand the supplemental fender is entirely supported by said springs 37.

The body portion of the supplemental fender 35 may be composed of anydesired material and constructed in any desired manner, the only objectin this'connection being to provide a supplemental fender substantiallyof the form herein shown and described, and the body portion of the mainfender or guard may also be composed of any desired material andconstructed in any desired manner, and if by any possibility a person orobject struck by the main fender or guard should pass thereunder saidperson or object would be caught by the supplemental fender or guard,and said supplemental fender orguard will also serve to prevent objectspassing beneath the platform of the car from the side thereof and thenceunder the wheels.

My improvement is simple in construction and operation and is perfectlyadapted to accomplish the result for which it is intended, and it willbe apparent that changes in and modifications of the construction hereindescribed may be made without departing from the spirit of my inventionor sacrificing its advantages.

Having fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent 1. In a car-fender, a plate or bar adapted to beattached to the car-body, a circular head thereon having a circularchamber opening outwardly, a plate removably mounted in said chamber, apin or pins whereby said plate is secured within said chamber, a fenderor guard pivotally connected with the outer end of said plate, saidfender being curved downwardly and outwardly and in close proximity tothe rails and means whereby said fender may be swung on its pivots fromthe platform of the car, substantially as described.

2. A car provided with a plate or bar which is secured to the bottom ofthe platform thereof, and on which is formed a circular head whichprojects therefrom, said head being also provided with a circularchamber which opens outwardly, a plate mounted in said chamber andconnected with said head by a pin or pins which are passed therethrough,and a fender or guard pivotally connected with the outer end of saidplate, said fender or guard being curved downwardly and forwardly, andbeing adapted to be held in proximity to the rails of the track, andmeans for adjusting or raising and lowering the forward part of saidfender or guard, consisting of an arm which extends upwardly from saidplate, a screw-threaded bolt or shaft which passes through the upper endof said arm, and through an upright or standard connected with the upperportion of said fender or guard, and means for operating said bolt orshaft, substantially as shown and described.

3. A car provided with a plate or bar which a is secured to the bottomof the platform thereof, and on which is formed a circular head whichprojects therefrom, said head being also provided with a circularchamber which opens outwardly, a plate mounted in said chamber andconnected with said head by a pin or pins which are passed therethrough,and a fender or guard pivotally connected with the outer end of saidplate, said fender or guard being curved downwardly and forwardly, andbeing adapted to be held in proximity to the rails of the track, andmeans for adjusting or raising and lowering the forward part of saidfender or guard, consisting of an arm which extends upwardly from saidplate, a screw-threaded bolt or shaft which passes through the upper endof said arm, and through an upright or standard connected with the upperportion of said fender or guard, and means for operating said bolt orshaft, said fender or guard being also provided with rings or handleswhich are connected with the top thereof, substantially as shown anddescribed.

4. A car provided with a plate or support which is secured to the bottomof the platform thereof, and a plate connected therewith by means ofpins or bolts, a main fender or guard pivotally connected with theforward end of said last-named plate and adapted to swing vertically, anarm connected with said lastnamed plate and projecting upwardly, ascrew-threaded bolt passing through the upper end thereof, and throughan attachment connected with the upper part of the main fender or guard,and means for operating said bolt so as to raise or lower the front endof said fender or guard, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed myname, in pres ence of the subscribing witnesses, this 23d day of July,A. D. 1897.

- JOSEPH LEIGHTHAM.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM F. SMITH, HARRY POTTER.

